


came in with the rain

by fannyann



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:16:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2389631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fannyann/pseuds/fannyann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calum’s never liked the idea of soulmates. He covered up his mark the minute he could, thinking, <i>out of sight, out of mind</i>. But meeting Luke in a record store on a rainy day changes everything. The way Luke nervously brushes his thumb across the small <i>C</i> at the crook of his hand and the faint blush that creeps up over his cheeks when Calum introduces himself makes Calum feel warm inside, like maybe Luke could be the one that <i>L</i> on his hand stands for. </p>
<p>or: a soulmate au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	came in with the rain

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Sarah for beta'ing this and holding my hand the whole way through. And for her pure gems of commentary the entire way through reading this. Also, to google for allowing me to search several combinations of "do australians say x" and not laughing in my face.

The first time Calum meets Luke he tries not to feel a thing. 

It’s usually easy to suppress the prickly sense of curiosity that pops up every time he encounters a new person whose name starts with the letter _L_. It’s usually not hard at all to stop his hand from twitching in an effort to hide the little bold letter now hidden by the initials of his mother’s name. It’s usually second nature for Calum to not react -- to school his face in a way that doesn’t give away what letter lies under the ink of the tattoo on his hand. 

But he meets Luke and it’s different. 

He meets Luke and his heart stutters as Luke brushes past him, jacket soaked through from the rain, trying to escape into the dryness of the record store. He meets Luke and he can’t help but stare at the little black _C_ so clear against the paleness of his hand as he rustles through the records just a few feet away from where Calum is restocking. He meets Luke and all he can do is blink slowly, words stuck at the back of his throat as this boy he doesn’t even know with blond hair and bright blue eyes touches his elbow softly, asking, “Hey, man. Can I look right here for a second?”

He meets Luke and he doesn’t like it at all. 

He stumbles out of the way, eyes flickering from the smile playing at the boy’s lips to the _C_ on his hand and hopes that he can get out of this without making a complete fool of himself. But the words comes out quicker than he can stop them, asking in a rush, “So, have you found the one yet?” 

He doesn’t seem to understand, smiling back, “Oh no, I’m just browsing until the rain lets up.” 

Calum shakes his head, heart beating fast, not knowing why he wants to know anything about this boy, let alone about his _soulmate_ when he doesn’t even like the idea of them. “No, sorry. I meant,” he says, pointing at the _C_ on the boy’s hand, “Have you met the _one_ yet?”

The boy shakes his head, not seeming to be bothered at all by a complete stranger inquiring about his soulmate, almost as if it happens all the time -- and, thinking about it, that’s not _that_ uncommon when so many people are always on the lookout for who they might be destined to be with. He smiles, cheek dimpling, “No, it’s funny, like, _C_ s aren’t uncommon but I haven’t met that many. There was a girl named Chrissy in my English class a few years ago. But hers was an _H_. And then there’s a guy down the street named Colin but he’s got an _X_ so I dunno. Still looking, I guess.” 

He makes a face, mouth turning down in a frown as he thinks, saying, “Actually haven’t met anyone with the letter _L_ either. So I’ve just had no luck at all I guess.” 

Calum’s heart flips, mouth going dry, coughing out, “Your name starts with an L?” 

“Yeah, my name’s Luke.” 

Calum’s hand twitches at the news and Luke’s eyes dart toward his hand, flying over the letters of his tattoo, brow furrowing in confusion, “Do you have three soulmates? I didn’t know that was possible.” 

Calum can’t help but laugh, soft and slightly endeared already by Luke and how wholeheartedly he seems to love the concept of soulmates, saying slowly, “No. I don’t really like the whole soulmate thing. So I covered mine up.” 

He lifts up his hands, displaying the tattoos he’d had done on his birthday. “I got my parents’ initials done to cover up the mark. Like these better, anyway.” 

The confusion on Luke’s face fades, replaced with something else that Calum can’t recognize but his face is soft and Calum tries not to think about the way the _L_ on his hand seems to burn underneath the ink of his tattoos. He tries not to think about the possibility that Luke might be the one he’s tried so hard to avoid finding. Not liking the idea of being tied down to someone by fate. Not liking the prospect of having no choice in who he falls in love. 

“I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like the idea of a soulmate before.”

“Well, Luke. There’s a first time for everything.” 

“I guess so,” he says, pausing, before asking, eyes curious, “Are you going to tell me your name? I’ve told you all about my fruitless search for my soulmate I feel like I should at least know that much.”

Calum thinks he shouldn’t. There’s something in Luke’s face that is so hopeful, so content with finding his soulmate and Calum doesn’t want to give him another name to cross off his list of _C_ s that didn’t work out. But Luke doesn’t know the letter on Calum’s hand and it doesn’t seem fair to lie about his name after Luke’s told him so much. So he smiles and says, “I’m Calum.” 

Luke’s eyes widen momentarily, right hand flying to touch at the little _C_ at the crook of his left hand, licking at his lips in surprise as he lets out a soft, little, “Oh,” before asking, eyes never leaving the _JKH_ on Calum’s hand, “What’s your letter, Calum?”

The rain’s let up and the sun’s starting to set and Calum thinks maybe he could tell Luke. His eyes are soft and curious, feet turned in on each other as he stands there waiting for an answer, he looks nervous and a little hopeful and Calum doesn’t want to crush him. Doesn’t want to give him something that he’s been looking for just to say _I can’t be your soulmate. I don’t want to be anyone’s soulmate_ so instead he leans forward and whispers playfully, “Can’t tell you Luke, it’s a secret.” 

*  
The second time he meets Luke it catches him completely off guard. 

It’s been three weeks since that rainy evening at the record store and Calum’s done his best to not think about the fact that for the first time in his life he’s let himself consider giving into the soulmate game. He tries not to think about the fact that he keeps absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over the tattoo where the letter should be had he not hidden it. And most of all he tries not think about the fact that he’d gone to sleep that night three weeks ago and dreamt about waking up next to Luke. 

But surprisingly he’s not as opposed to running into Luke a second time as he thought he would be. He’s at the grocery store picking up a thing of soup for Michael when he gets a text from his mum asking when he’s going to come home next. He’s typing out a response as he runs right into someone, stuttering back and apologizing quickly, words getting caught halfway out as he realizes who it is. 

Luke straightens up, smoothing out the end of his shirt, smiling, “Hello, Calum.” 

There’s a brightness in his eyes that has Calum’s mouth drying, breathing coming in more labored than he’d like. He doesn’t like being so affected by a person he’s met once, especially not one that could potentially be the soulmate he doesn’t want to have. He pockets his phone after he sends his text off, saying another quick apology before smiling, “Hi, Luke. Fancy seeing you here.” 

Luke bites his bottom lip, smiling around it and it makes Calum glad --not for the first time -- that no one else can see his mark. He feels like it’s burning on his skin looking at Luke smiling back at him and he thinks if it was visible it might be a bright red with how hot it feels. 

“It is a nice coincidence, isn’t it?” 

There’s a glimmer in his eyes, a teasing tone in his voice that suggest he might be talking about something else but Calum doesn’t know anything about Luke other than his name so he has no way to be sure. Luke’s holding a basket with three cans of tuna, a large bag of macaroni noodles and a package of Oreos and Calum’s a little horrified, asking, “Is that what you’re having for dinner?”

Luke looks at the contents of his basket and blushes a slight pink. “No. Well, _yes_. But there’s other ingredients involved. And the Oreos are for later. This is just what I didn’t have at home.” 

He furrows his eyebrows, defensive, “I’m making a casserole. It’s not gross, I swear.” 

There’s a buzzing in his pocket and he’s reminded that he’s got a sick Michael waiting for him at home and he knows he needs to hurry. But there’s something about Luke that makes him want to stay in this aisle and talk to him forever. He can’t help but say as he starts to walk toward the soup, “Maybe you’ll have to show me sometime.” 

Luke’s eyes go wide briefly, blush deepening ever so slightly as he answers, “Yeah, maybe I will.” 

*  
The third time he meets Luke it’s only a week later. 

Michael sends him out to the bakery down the street to pick up a dozen cupcakes for Ashton’s birthday party, saying, “It’s his birthday! You can’t have a birthday party without a cake of some sort!” even though Calum tries to tell him that the birthday cake flavored vodka should do well enough. 

Michael just shakes his head, pushing him out the door, exasperated, “No, Calum. We’re getting the cupcakes.” 

“No, _I’m_ getting the cupcakes. I don’t see you giving me any money for them.” 

Michael just shakes his head again, rolling his eyes. “I bought him the gift!” 

He’s not thinking by the time he gets to the bakery, flustered about having to get cupcakes in the first place, not thinking about anything other than the fact that the last time Michael held a party at their place they got three noise complaints and had to send everyone home and hopes tonight isn’t the same. 

The bakery’s quiet as he enters, a bell jingling above him to let the worker behind the counter know that someone’s there. At this point, seeing the guy in the dark gray shirt with broad shoulders turn around to reveal Luke’s smiling face isn’t surprising at all. Calum thinks he might just run into Luke for the rest of his life and he tries his hardest to suppress the voice at the back of his head saying _There’s a reason you keep running into him, Calum._

Luke’s eyes are just as bright as Calum remembers them being, cheek dimpling, voice warm and inviting as he says, ‘Hello, Calum. It’s nice seeing you again.”

There’s the same glimmer in his eyes as there had been the last time they’d seen each other. The same feeling at the pit of Calum’s stomach that Luke might be talking about something else, just as he had been before, and then Luke says, “It’s almost as if it’s fate bringing us together like this,” and Calum’s suspicions are confirmed. He finds himself thinking, disgruntledly, _Of course, the soulmate thing._

Calum’s smile comes easy, though, voice not showing a hint of his nervousness at running into Luke for the third time in a month as he says, teasing, “No, I think it’s my roommate’s obsession with cupcakes that sent me here.” 

Luke smiles, just as warm as ever, saying, “Well then, I think I can help you with that.” 

Luke straighten up at the counter, suddenly very proper looking as he smoothes out the apron tied at his waist. “What kinds are you looking for?”

“Oh. Um. I’m not actually sure. Whatever. Ash isn’t picky. I just need a dozen.”

Luke nods, and it feels familiar and that makes Calum even more nervous because nothing about Luke should feel familiar. But it does and Calum finds himself liking it. 

Luke pulls out two boxes from the under the counter and heads to the display to his right. He doesn’t ask Calum anymore questions, just bites his lip and looks at the cupcakes in front of him, deciding. It doesn’t take him long once he starts moving. He grabs from all over, placing different cupcakes into the two boxes, smiling as he goes. It’s almost mesmerizing the way Luke’s hands move with such certainty, little smile at the corner of his eyes only growing larger as he finishes, straightening up and stacking the boxes together at the register. 

“I gave you a bit of everything. I hope your friends like them.” 

“I’m sure they will. Besides there’ll be enough alcohol going around that Michael probably won’t be able to tell these from something I bake and Ashton’s just gonna be happy everyone’s there for him.” 

“Oh, are you having a birthday party?”

“Yeah, just a little thing. Well I hope it’s a little thing. Can’t really afford another set of noise complaints like last time.” 

There’s something about Luke that makes him want to keep talking. Makes him want to tell him everything there is to know about Calum but the bell jingles behind him and Calum’s brought to his senses, remembering that he’s not supposed to be opening up to potential soulmates, especially not cute ones with warm blue eyes and a nice smile. Luke calls out to the woman that’s walked in behind Calum, “I’ll be with you in a moment!” and then rings Calum up, handing him the boxes and saying with a hint of a promise in his voice, “I’ll see you around, Calum,” as if he has no doubt in his mind that they’ll run into each other again. 

Calum leaves the store, looking back for a second to watch Luke take the new customer’s order. There’s a brief moment where Calum’s guard slips and he hopes that Luke is right that they will meet again. He thinks he’d like to get to know Luke. But then he shakes it off. He promised himself when his mum told him about soulmates that he wouldn’t be one of those people. That he wouldn’t give into something thrust upon him and let it eat up his life -- especially not something like his lovelife. 

He pushes it out of his mind and concentrates on the night at hand and how he’s going to keep Michael from getting them kicked out of their apartment. 

*  
The fourth time he sees Luke he takes Michael aside and asks, voice tight, feeling a bit like he’s coming unhinged, “What the _fuck?_ is he doing here?”

Michael blinks, slow and concerned, too many drinks in to be confronted like this, “What? Who’re you talking about?”

He casts a furtive look at Luke standing awkwardly by the kitchen counter, looking at Calum like he knows exactly what he’s saying even though he’s all the way across the room and Calum feels guilty and that just frustrates him even more. He shakes his head, nodding as subtly as he can in Luke’s direction, saying in a hushed tone, “Luke. What is Luke doing here?”

It takes Michael a moment to register what Calum’s saying. He looks right at Luke, smiling curiously before turning back to Calum and asking, amused, “Wait is _that_ the Luke that came into the record store last month? The one you’ve been running into all the time?” 

“Yes. Now, what’s he doing here?”

There’s a feeling creeping into his skin. One that’s burning him up from the inside out that’s saying _You know why, Calum_ and he hates it more than he’s ever hated anything. 

Michael smiles, easing the tension building up in Calum, “Sorry I never made the connection, Cal. He knows Ashton from school or something. I’m not sure.” 

Michael seems to be losing interest in the conversation, eyes wandering over the guests in the rest of the apartment before settling back on Calum, cheeks red and eyes slightly glassy from drinking, “What’s the problem anyway?”

His hand tightens around his own cup momentarily, eyes flicking to the initials of his mother’s name before looking back at Michael, feeling frantic again, nervous that Luke’s suddenly here with him -- in his home of all places. “His mark is a _C_.”

Michael’s eyes dart to Calum’s hand and then to Luke who appears to be walking their way. His mouth forms a little _O_ before asking softly, “Did you tell him about yours?” 

Calum only has time to quickly say, “No, you know how I feel about soulmates, Michael,” before Luke is there next to them, smiling at Calum like he’s the only one in the entire place. 

“Hi, Calum.” 

Luke’s standing in front of the two of them with his hands behind his back, feet turned in on each other in a way Calum thinks is adorable, his eyes only leaving Calum for a second to smile at Michael and say, “Thanks for having us over,” before turning back to Calum and saying, “I see everyone liked the cupcakes.”

Michael looks between the two of them, eyes furrowing, laughing out sharp and loud, “Jesus Christ, you were at the bakery today, too?”

Luke nods his head and Michael can’t seem to stop laughing, hand sneaking up around Calum’s neck as he leans forward trying to catch his breath, whispering in a way that’s not quiet at all, “Shit, you really are running into him everywhere.” 

“Michael,” Calum warns, reaching up and removing his hand, pushing him away with a smile, “Go away.”

Michael leans in again, breath hot against the shell of Calum’s ear, “He’s cute, Cal. Don’t be a dick.” 

He leaves, after, smiling from ear to ear as he hurries over to Ashton, flopping down next to him on the sofa and nearly shouting, “Happy birthday, Ash.” 

Calum doesn’t get a chance to see Ashton’s response before Luke brings his attention back to him, asking with a little smirk, “You told your friend about me?”

Calum takes a deep breath, trying to think of a way to play that one off, but there’s something about Luke that makes him want to be honest and he ends up smiling and saying, “Yeah, might’ve mentioned you.” 

Luke beams at Calum’s admission. His cheek dimpling as a slight pink creeps up over his face and it takes everything in Calum to keep his smile at bay, instead saying, “It’s not that big of a deal.” 

Luke’s smile doesn’t falter, eyes growing brighter as he teases, “If you say so.” 

Calum rolls his eyes, pushing past Luke and mumbling, “I do say so.” 

Luke follows him to the kitchen, asking as they go, “Which was your favorite cupcake?” 

Calum hadn’t actually eaten any of them, but he had swiped his finger through the icing of one of Michael’s and it had tasted nice so Calum says, “I liked the one with the mint icing.” 

The kitchen is empty, the people who had been in there earlier now gone and Calum wishes there was someone else in the room with them because the way Luke looks at Calum like he’s cataloging the information, storing it away for a later date, makes Calum’s breath hitch. He finishes the last of his drink and makes himself another in an attempt to get rid of the feeling but Luke just keeps looking at him like he’s something special and it makes Calum want to scream, to push him away and say _I am not who you’re looking for. I can’t be that for you_ , but there’s something in him just as strong that stops him. Instead he hands Luke a drink and says, “Tell me about yourself.”

*  
The fifth time he runs into Luke the only thing he hears is Luke’s voice ringing in his ears _It’s fate bringing us together like this._

It’s been two days since Ashton’s birthday party and Calum hasn’t stopped thinking about Luke since and it’s getting harder and harder to not give into the possibility that they’re meant to be with each other. He spots Luke from across the park. He’s wearing a pair black skinny jeans and a thick gray jumper and he looks exceptionally soft in his knit beanie, leaning down and petting a small black dog. Calum tells himself it’s the dog that bring him over. Tells himself it has nothing to do with the way Luke’s eyes always light up when he sees Calum or the way his cheeks had flushed bright red over the weekend as Calum had thrown an arm around him, too drunk to bother not liking him, and said, “Luke, I hope you find your soulmate one day.” 

He tells himself that he felt nothing when Luke fixed him with a piercing look that night, lip between his teeth, thinking, and said after a moment, voiced laced with sincerity, “I think I might’ve already.” 

He tells himself all these things. But he knows he’s lying. 

Luke’s face breaks into the same smile it always does when he sees Calum. He straightens up, tugging at his dog’s leash slightly to keep her still and says happily, “Hello, Calum. Still think fate’s not bringing us together?”

The laugh bubbles out of him despite his best efforts, eyes crinkling up in a smile with the force of how pleased Luke looks with the turn of events but Calum changes the subject, not wanting to talk about fate and soulmates today. “You never told me you had a dog.”

“Does my dog make me more appealing to you?” 

There’s a hint of genuine curiosity under the teasing tone of Luke’s voice and Calum shrugs, mouth twitching in a smile, “Maybe.” 

“Well then, this is Molly. I was going to say she’s my family’s dog and I’m just watching her for the weekend but now that I know your true feelings - she’s all mine. Absolutely.” 

Calum kneels down in front of Luke, extending his hand for Molly. He waits until she sniffs his hand, licking at his fingers, before reaching up and petting behind her ears, saying to Luke, “She’s adorable.” 

Luke looks down at the two of them fondly, eyes hovering over the ratty shirt and sneakers Calum’s wearing, and the way his nose is slightly red from the cold, fighting back a smile as he asks, “Did you stop mid run to come over and talk to me?” 

Calum settles into the grass, ignoring the question to continue to pet Molly. Luke sits next to him, knee brushing against Calum’s as he does, saying again, voice laced with happiness, “You did, didn’t you?” 

Calum takes his eyes away from Molly, stilling his hand, laughing as she paws at his other to get him to continue, saying to Luke, “No, I stopped mid run to come see this cutie,” as he continues to pet Molly. 

They sit like that for a long time, Luke’s knees pressed against Calum’s as Calum plays with his dog, neither saying a word to each other and then Luke’s phone vibrates and the moment is lost. He fishes it out of his pocket and grimaces, turning toward Calum and saying apologetically, “I’m gonna have to take Molly away from you now. My mum’s on her way to pick her up.” 

Luke stands, reaching his hand out to help Calum up and Calum takes it. Luke’s hand is soft and warm against Calum’s and he holds it for a second too long, thinking to himself _I could get used to holding his hand_ before he pulls his hand back quickly. He watches as Luke’s mouth turns up in an amused smile, blinking back at Calum slowly, saying, “You know, if I had your number I could tell you the next time she’ll be around.” 

He wants to. He does. But he’s already let himself feel too much for Luke in this short amount of time and he’s set on not liking him. He’s set on not giving into the voice at the back of his head saying that Luke’s his soulmate and he’s determined to prove his mother wrong. Prove to her and everyone else around him that a mark on your hand doesn’t have to determine who you end up with. He shakes his head, biting back the feeling of guilt that washes over him as Luke’s face falls a little when Calum says, “No, Luke. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

Luke steps back, shoulders hunched slightly, eyes losing a bit of their brightness as he asks, “Is it because of the letter on my hand?” 

“No, it’s because of the letter on mine.” 

Luke doesn’t seem to understand, voice laced with confusion, “I don’t even know your letter, though.” 

Calum scratches at the back of his neck, tension creeping into his shoulders, not really knowing how to do this. He’s never met someone with his letter on their hand. Especially not one whose letter was on _his_ hand, too. He thought this would be easier. He thought not playing into the soulmate game would be less painful. 

“That’s the reason, Luke. I don’t want -- I covered up my letter for a reason. I don’t _want_ a soulmate.” 

Luke nods, finally understanding. He smiles at Calum weakly and it makes Calum’s heart flutter. “Alright. But you know, if you change your mind I think we could be friends. Even if you know -- even if I’ve got a _C_ on my hand.” 

The tension building up in Calum’s shoulders seems to be radiating out of him and into the air around them. The _L_ hidden beneath the ink of his tattoo feels like it burns with every moment he stands there not saying anything. Luke shrugs, turns on his heel after muttering a quick goodbye and starts to walk off with Molly before Calum can speak again. 

He calls out after him, smiling as Luke stops dead in his tracks, Molly running into the back of his leg, “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up that I’m the one!” 

Calum feels frantic with the admission. His heart hurts with how fast it’s beating waiting for Luke to respond. He turns slightly, soft smile on his lips, “I just like you, Calum. You don’t have to be the one.” 

The words ring in Calum’s ears and he has trouble speaking after, nearly choking out his response, “Alright, then. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.” 

*

He goes home after, feeling like he’d just run five miles with how exhausted he is and wonders if that’s what fighting off soulmates does to you. If this is how he’ll feel for the rest of his life and if it’s even worth it when Luke seems like a perfectly nice person and could potentially make him very happy. He stands in the shower and washes away the feelings of stress and hope and mixed up guilt at wanting to tell Luke he’s got an _L_ on his hand while still wanting to not have a soulmate at all. 

Michael stops him as he exits the bathroom. “Your run was longer than usual today.” 

Michael’s mouth turns up smugly as Calum’s cheeks flush. “You ran into Luke again didn’t you?”

Calum pushes past him, making for his bedroom door but Michael grips his wrist loosely, stilling him, laughing, “You like this guy, don’t you?” 

“No, Michael. I barely know him.” 

Michael makes Calum turn around, looking at him seriously, no trace of laughter in his voice anymore. “Cal, I get you don’t wanna let a letter on your hand dictate who you fall in love with and all that but like, if you’re not letting yourself _like_ people who have your letter on their hand you’re kinda doing just that.” 

Michael has a point and it makes Calum feel weirder than he had before, a dull pain creeping up behind his eyes. He rubs his hand over his face, trying to smile, “Yeah, maybe. But the thing is Mikey, I don’t want a soulmate and Luke does, it’s written all over his face every time he looks at me and I can’t-- that’s not really fair of me to mess him around like that.” 

Michael’s features soften and he pats Calum’s cheek playfully. “That’s something someone who likes a person would say.” 

Calum laughs, frustrated, pushing Michael back a bit and heading to his room, calling back over his shoulder, “Fuck off!” 

“I’m just calling it like it is!” 

Michael might be right but Calum doesn’t have to be happy about it and he doesn’t have to listen to him. But he stays in his room for the rest of the night not able to think about anything other than Luke’s small smile as he walked off after Calum had said maybe they’d see each other again. He can’t stop thinking about how cold his hand had felt after Luke had taken his away, as if something was missing that should be there for him at any moment and most of all he can’t stop thinking about the fact that he’d really like to take Luke on a date. 

He doesn’t want to ask Michael and give him the opportunity to be smug about it just yet so he fishes out his phone and texts Ashton: _hey do you have Luke’s number?_

Ashton doesn’t respond for half an hour and when he does Calum feels nervous, almost as if Ashton’s accusing him of something he hasn’t even done yet, as he reads the message: _Yeah. Why???_

Calum swallows roughly, fingers shaking a bit as he types back _Uhh. Wanted to see if he wanted to hang out sometime. Can’t really do that without his number._

His heart sinks a bit as his phone vibrates in his hand, lighting up with Ashton’s name. He sighs, answering the phone, “Hi, Ash.” 

Ashton doesn’t bother with pleasantries, saying immediately, “You know he has your letter, right?” 

Calum lies back on the bed, letting his head sink down into his pillow and inhales deeply, letting it out slowly before saying, “Yes, I’m aware of that.” 

“Do you have his?”

Calum swallows hard, coughing a bit, “What?”

Ashton clarifies, “Do you have _his_ letter?”

Calum rubs his hand over his face roughly, breathing in and out quickly, frustrated by Ashton’s questioning. “I don’t see why that’s relevant.” 

“It’s relevant because he likes you. A lot.” 

Calum had a feeling he did. But hearing Ashton say it makes his heart skip and his cheeks heat up, breathing out softly, as if he’s telling a secret, “I like him, too, Ashton. That’s why I want his number.” 

Ashton sighs heavily and Calum thinks he hears him run his hand through his hair and then he’s saying quickly, like he has to get it out before he thinks better of it, “Fine. I’ll text it to you but Calum -- be careful. You don’t want a soulmate. Luke does.” 

Ashton texts him Luke’s number almost immediately but it takes Calum another hour to work up the courage to text Luke -- not knowing how to ask him out or even if that’s really what he wants to do. He just knows he wants to be near him again. Wants to see that big smile of his and hear him laugh again. 

He settles on just sending out _Heyyy this is Calum_ and hoping Luke doesn’t decide to ignore him. It’s not until after he’s eaten dinner with Michael that his phone buzzes in his pocket. He doesn’t look until he’s back in his room, away from Michael, not wanting to share this with him just yet, smiling as he reads: _Sorry I don’t think I know any Calums :)_

He sits at the top of his bed, thumbs hovering over his phone, thinking. Before he can decide on how to ask him out Luke texts back: _I thought having my number wasn’t a good idea?_

Calum laughs, feeling suddenly giddy. _It’s not. But we all make bad choices sometimes Luke._

Luke doesn’t respond as quickly as he had previously and Calum thinks maybe he hurt his feelings or crossed a line but then Luke responds with a _:)_ and _Did Michael give you my number?_ shortly after.

_No. I asked Ashton for it. He almost didn’t give it to me though._

Another few minutes pass by and Calum’s heart beats faster with each one that passes. He’s never felt this much anticipation texting someone before and he feels ridiculous, sighing in relief when he reads Luke’s next message: _Well I’m glad he did. I’m glad you decided to text me_.

Calum thinks this is as good of a time as any to ask him. He thinks if he waits any longer he’s going to talk himself out of it, convince himself that it _is_ a bad idea to engage in things with a potential soulmate when he doesn’t want one. But he thinks about Luke’s smile and the way his eyes shine so bright when he looks at Calum and he finds himself typing out quickly _How would you feel about going to dinner on Friday?_ before he can work himself out of it. 

The seconds tick by slowly and Calum feels like he waits forever to get a response back from Luke, smiling wider than he expected to as he reads: _I think I’d like that._

*

He drives past the bakery Luke works at every day on his way to the record store, never realizing before that it had been on his way to work, and has to stop himself from going inside to get a muffin, or something else just for an excuse to talk to Luke again in person. The week passes by too quickly, though, and by the time Friday night comes around Calum almost psyches himself out of going, desperately telling Michael, “I can’t do this. I told myself I wasn’t going to _do_ the soulmate thing. I shouldn’t be going on a date with someone who has my letter!” 

Michael turns around from where he’s looking through Calum’s closet, saying sternly, “Calum, _you_ asked him out on a date. You can’t bail on him!” 

Calum lies back on his bed, sighing into his hands, “Well I can’t very well go now, can I? I like him too much.” 

Michael purses his lips, breathing in sharply. “You know that doesn’t make any fucking sense, right?” 

Calum starts to say something but Michael throws up his hand, stopping him, saying exasperatedly, “Fuck off, Calum. Honestly. All you do is talk about him and you don’t even realize it. You _like_ him. No -- don’t give me that look. And don’t you dare tell me “you don’t want a soulmate” because I know. I know you don’t. But Luke is cute and he is nice and you like him. And so what. So what if he’s got your letter. So what if you’ve got his. The fun thing about the whole fucking letter system is it’s just a letter, Cal. It’s just a letter on your hand leading you to someone. You’ve gotta make what you will out of it. How many people out there are there with names that start with an _L >_?”

Calum doesn’t answer because he knows Michael’s right deep down and Michael just continues, voice softening, “Look, you can either see what you’ve got with Luke or you can avoid dating anyone that has your letter for the rest of your life and potentially end up miserable. I don’t care. But you’re not bailing on him when you’re the one who asked him out. That’s a dick move and I won’t let you become a complete arse just because you _don’t want a soulmate_.” 

Michael emphasizes the last words with exaggerated air quotes and an eye roll and then turns back to Calum’s closet. He pulls out one of Calum’s black jumpers and throws it at Calum, saying, “Wear this.” 

When Calum doesn’t make a move to get up and change, Michael slaps at his thigh, voice soft and coaxing, “Oh, come on. You obviously wanted to go at some point. And like you’ve told me a thousand times all week ‘one dinner isn’t a date and doesn’t have to mean giving into the soulmate thing’ so get a move on.” 

He walks out of Calum’s room without another word and the only thing that stirs Calum into moving is his phone buzzing in his pocket. He swipes it open to read _Do you want me to meet you at the restaurant? You never said._

Calum pulls on his jumper, straightens his hair in the mirror on his door and slides his shoes on. He turns his keys over in his hand nervously, stopping occasionally to thumb over the tattoo covering his mark and tries to mentally prepare himself for what’s to come. Texting Luke back: _I’ll pick you up. Send me your address._

*

Dinner with Luke is easy and that freaks Calum out. First dates have never been this easy for him but there’s no pause in conversation, no awkward small talk that seems to go on forever. It’s just the two of them laughing together about the different people they’ve encountered at work and telling each other about themselves. It’s almost as if they’ve known each other forever with how easily the conversation comes but Luke looks at him in a way that makes Calum remember how new this all is. Luke nods as Calum talks, never interrupting and it makes Calum’s cheeks tinge red. His breath hitches with the intensity with which Luke looks at him, as if everything he’s saying is important and he needs to store it away for a later date when he might need to tell someone, “Calum likes pizza and and the color blue but he doesn’t believe in soulmates.” 

Calum’s mouth is dry with how much he’s talked and he realizes that Luke’s barely said a word in the last twenty minutes. “Sorry, I don’t usually talk this much.”

Luke shakes his head, smile growing wider, “I don’t mind. I like hearing about you.”

Calum tries not to think about that or the way the words sound in the air, warm and sweet, and how they make his heart swell with happiness, instead he says, “Enough about me, tell me about you.” 

Luke shrugs. “I told you about me at Ashton’s birthday party.” 

Calum remembers the way Luke had sat next to him in the living room, arm pressed against Calum’s as he giggled with every sip he took, telling Calum about his love for penguins and how his birthday was coming up soon and how he’d maybe like to own his own bakery one day. Luke takes Calum’s silence as an opportunity to continue, his face softens slightly, smile smoothing out and eyes narrowing with the way he’s thinking. He bites at his lip before asking with a hint of nervousness in his voice, “Are you ever going to tell me what your letter is?” 

Luckily for Calum the waiter comes by just then to ask if they need anything else and Calum is able to stall by asking for their check, no longer in the mood for dessert. He’s not sure how to answer Luke’s question because all a small part of him wants to do is duck out of this restaurant and go home and pretend he never met a boy with his letter on his hand; but a bigger part -- a louder part -- wants to tell Luke, and Calum doesn’t know how to deal with that. Instead, he says as carefully as he can, not wanting his voice to betray him, “I think you already know, Luke.” 

There’s a glint in Luke’s eyes that says he does, but Luke doesn’t agree, he just smiles and asks, “Okay then, why are you so hellbent on not having a soulmate?”  
Calum’s so surprised by the question that he chokes a little on his own spit. He grabs for his water and tries to calm himself down while he thinks of how to answer that -- no one ever really asking him flat out. 

Luke looks curious, but not in an unkind way or a way that says he thinks Calum’s strange, more like he just wants to know Calum, know what makes him tick, and Calum finds himself telling Luke, just as easily as he had told his mother when she first explained what the mark was for, “I just don’t like the idea of it. Seems a bit constricting, doesn’t it?” 

Luke nod his head slightly, absentmindedly tracing over the letter on his hand and Calum’s heart skips a beat, stomach twisting with the gesture, as Luke says, “I don’t think so. I think it’s nice. Besides it’s not like your soulmate has to be this great love of your life or anything. It could just be someone who comes into your life and shapes it, makes you better, or like a really good friend. My mum doesn’t have my dad’s letter but he has hers. She swears her soulmate is her best friend.” 

He says it all very knowingly and Calum thinks it’s cute, how much he thinks about soulmates and how sincere he’s being in trying to get Calum to not think so poorly of the whole thing and it’s only half surprising when he finds himself saying, “I’ve never thought about it like that.” 

Luke seems very pleased, sitting up a little straighter and smiling widely. “See that’s why you need a person like me around, Calum. To make sure you’re not becoming too jaded to the whole system.” 

Calum can’t help himself, the laugh bursts through him, big and bright and he has to clap his hand over his mouth to try and contain it. Luke watches him with fond eyes and it makes Calum’s skin heat up, the L on his hand once again seeming to burn beneath his tattoo and Calum thinks maybe he’ll keep Luke around -- it doesn’t mean he has to love him. After all, Luke could be right. Maybe they could just be friendly soulmates. 

*

Things with Luke are easy and that’s the problem. He fits into Calum’s life so seamlessly and looks at Calum like he could be the one that it confuses him. It makes him feel restless, like he’s coming out of his skin -- like he needs to run away and hide out until Luke forgets his name, forgets his mark, forgets that Calum’s got Luke’s letter even if he won’t say it out loud. 

But Calum doesn’t run away. There’s something about Luke that makes him stay. Maybe it’s the way he laughs at Calum’s jokes harder than anyone else, or the way he looks at him when Calum talks -- like it’s important no matter what he’s saying -- or maybe it’s just Luke. Just Luke with his bright blue eyes and wide smile, always there to listen when Calum finally wants to talk, never once complaining when it takes him three hours to text him back. 

Whatever it is, Luke makes Calum want to have a soulmate, makes him want to let his guard down and fall in love like no one else has ever done before and it absolutely terrifies him. 

*

“Calum, do you want me to leave?” 

Calum’s drawn out of his thoughts by Luke’s voice, soft and nervous in a way it hasn’t been in months and Calum doesn’t like the sound of it at all. He especially doesn’t like the way Luke’s eyes narrow momentarily when Calum asks, “What?” louder than he’d meant to. 

Luke stands up, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He looks at Calum with a sad half smile, shrugging, “I think I’m gonna go.”

“What? Why?” he asks, voice rising slightly in confusion and it makes Luke laugh, his features softening and his mouth turning up in a fond smile. 

“You haven’t said a word to me since you opened the door for me an hour ago. Doesn’t really seem like you want me here tonight.” 

He says it very matter of factly, no trace of resentment in his voice, and that makes Calum’s heart swoop gratefully. 

“No, I do,” Calum says with more honesty than he would have expected, still so surprised with how much he wants Luke’s company. 

Luke sighs, sinking back down into his seat, knee brushing against Calum’s as he folds his legs up and situates himself to where he’s looking at Calum again. He shakes his head softly, mouth thinned out in an attempt not to laugh, “You sure do know how to make that obvious.” 

He’s teasing and Calum laughs. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted.” 

Luke’s eyes widen comically. “No, you don’t say?” 

Calum pushes at Luke’s knee. “Hey, don’t tease.” 

Luke’s features smooth out, the air around them shifting but Luke’s eyes don’t lose the trace of laughter so Calum’s caught off guard when Luke asks seriously, “Thinking about soulmates again?” 

Calum can feel the heat rising in his cheeks and he hates it. Hates the way Luke affects him like this and the way he knows him so well after only a few short months. 

“How’d you know?”

Luke nods at Calum’s hands. “Haven’t stopped touching your tattoo since I got here.” 

Calum’s very aware of his hands now, and the way he’d been thumbing over the initials of his mother’s name absentmindedly. He stills them,smiling at Luke awkwardly, mumbling, “Sorry.” 

Luke smiles warmly, waving his hand like it’s no big deal, and something snaps in Calum, the words tumbling out before he can stop them, “You know, I’ve got your letter.” 

It’s not a question, but Luke nods his head, anyway, lips quirking up at the edges and it makes Calum feel restless, like he can’t shut up.

“And that really freaks me out. I never wanted - I didn’t _want_ \- this wasn’t --” 

He can’t get the words out and that frustrates him even more. Luke places his hand over Calum’s, where he’d been nervously drumming his fingers against his thigh, saying soothingly, “Calum, it’s fine. We don’t have to talk about it.” 

Calum sighs, body feeling tight and heavy all of a sudden. He sinks back against the sofa and lets the brush of Luke’s thumb over the back of his hand calm him, finally saying after the silence drags on long enough. “You make me want too much, Luke. “ 

Luke’s thumb stills on Calum’s hand and the surge of calmness that had washed over him before disappears the moment Luke removes his hand, clasping them both in his lap and looking at Calum carefully, saying slowly. “Okay.” 

He pauses, breathing in deep before asking, “What do you want most?” 

“To not love you.” 

The words feel heavy in the air and the silence that follows is suffocating. Luke’s face falls, cheeks tingeing an angry shade of red and Calum wants to take the words back but he knows Luke deserves better than that, knows he deserves the truth. 

“I don’t know how to be with you when you think I’m your soulmate and I don’t _want_ one. It doesn’t seem fair.” 

Luke rubs his hands over his face, fixing Calum with a hard look, saying defensively, “I don’t mean to.” 

Luke’s angry and Calum understands it but he doesn’t like the look on Luke at all. Doesn’t like that he’s made him angry or that he’s caused him to be upset. He reaches out tentatively to touch at Luke’s hand but he pulls away quickly, scooting further down the sofa, distancing himself from Calum as much as he can and Calum’s heart sinks. 

Luke stands after a moment, his shoulders set in determination. He looks at Calum sadly, saying quietly, “I’m going to go now.” 

Calum reaches out for Luke’s hand, fingers circling his wrist loosely and Luke doesn’t make to move. They stay like that for a long moment, neither saying anything, until Luke tugs his hand away gently, smiling down at Calum sympathetically. “Call me when you’ve figured out what else you want, Cal.”

Calum wants to stop him from leaving. He wants to wrap Luke up in a hug and kiss him until it hurts but he knows that would be selfish, knows it would be unkind to do that to Luke when they both want two completely different things, so he let’s Luke leave. Let’s him walk out the door without another word. 

Michael comes home later that night and stirs him awake gently, face twisted up in confusion as he asks, “I thought you and Luke were hanging out tonight.” 

Calum shrugs his shoulders, pushing off of the sofa and heading to his room, saying a bit defeatedly, “He left a while ago.” 

Calum shuts his door before Michael can ask any more questions and doesn’t even bother getting undressed. He climbs in bed fully clothed, curling up under his duvet and hoping that in the morning he’ll wake up knowing what to do about this whole situation. 

*

He doesn’t figure it out and he never does call. 

He spends the first week after his talk with Luke avoiding him all together. He takes a new route to work so he doesn’t have to pass the bakery and see the way Luke’s eyes light up as a customer orders one of his favorite cupcakes. He bails last minute when Ashton invites him and Michael to go see a movie with him and Luke, claiming that he’s got a headache and will catch them later. He types out nearly fifteen messages to Luke just to delete them before pressing send and dodges Michael and Ashton’s questions about Luke for as long as he can. 

They get fed up eventually, though. They corner him in the kitchen three weeks after Luke left Calum alone in the apartment, Ashton saying sharper than Calum’s ever heard him speak, “So are you gonna tell us what’s going on between the two of you or just ignore all of us forever?” 

“I‘m not ignoring all of you,” Calum says, feeling prickly. 

Michael laughs, cold and unkind, “Right. You’re just avoiding our questions and ignoring Luke. Does that sound right?” 

Calum leans up against the counter, shrinking away from the look on Michael’s face, just as severe as his voice had been, his own voice betraying his guilt, “I’m not ignoring him. I’m just not talking to him at the moment.” 

Ashton squeezes his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose and inhaling sharply, “I told you to be careful, Calum.” 

“Yeah and I fucking tried. But he’s got that --” 

He waves his hands around, gesturing grandly, hoping that Ashton knows what he means, but Ashton just looks at him, features colored in disappointment and Calum stops, slumping his shoulders. “He’s got me all mixed up. I’m sorry.” 

“You’re not making any sense,” Michael says, face no longer as angered, eyes softening around the edges and looking at Calum in concern. 

“I think I maybe might love him a bit.” 

Ashton asks, “Isn’t that a good thing?” 

Michael scoffs, face hard again, “Of course it’s not. Calum here doesn’t want a fucking soulmate even if it costs him love.” 

“Hey, fuck off, Michael. It’s not that easy.” 

Ashton looks confused, asking slowly, “Why isn’t it?” 

Calum scratches at the front of his hair, frustrated that they’re forcing him to have this conversation when all he wanted was to have a cup of tea and then go back to sleep. 

“It’s not that easy because Luke wants a soulmate. I don’t. Luke looks at me like I _am_ his soulmate and he’s done it almost the entire time I’ve known him. I can’t --” 

He sighs, not wanting to vocalize the fear he’s had at the back of his mind for so long, but needing to, needing to get it out and have someone understand the way he feels. “I can’t tell if he likes me because I’m me or if he likes me because I have his fucking letter on my goddamn hand.” 

The room goes quiet save for the way Ashton and Michael breathe in deeply, sharing a look between each other before they both say, “Oh, Calum,” and Calum can’t stand to hear a word either of them have to say. 

“I don’t want to talk about it. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to live a soulmate free life. That was the plan.” 

He shrugs out of Michael’s way and pulls his hand away from Ashton when he tries to stop him and heads straight for his room. He doesn’t listen for their hushed voices or try to make out what they’re saying. He just puts his headphones in and turns his music all the way up and drowns out the voice inside his head saying: _You’re only appealing because of your mark_.

*

It’s another month before he hears from Luke again. Looking back, Calum probably should have seen it coming with the way Michael had peeked in his room on his way out, smiling, “I’m gonna stay at Ash’s tonight. Don’t pout in your room all night, Cal.” 

Calum throws his pillow at the door as he leaves, yelling after him, “Fuck off, Michael,” with absolutely no heat in his voice. 

It’s not until two hours later when there’s a loud knock on his door that Calum thinks maybe Michael was trying to warn him about something. He answers the door to a very disgruntled Luke. A Luke that doesn’t look like he’s slept in days, tank top clinging to his skin from the rain, jeans wet around the ankles like he’s walked through one too many puddles. 

He doesn’t give Calum a chance to say anything before he’s pushing through the door, walking around the living room frantically, scratching at the hair that’s fallen in his face from the rain and Calum’s reminded of the first day he’d met Luke all those months ago in the record store. But this time, Luke’s eyes don’t reflect any sense of hope or wonder like they had back then as he talked about soulmates. Now they just look tired, hurt, confused, and Calum doesn’t like it. 

“Hi, Luke,” Calum says, trying for cheery, but coming up a bit flat.

Luke stops, turns on his heel to face Calum and says uncharacteristically harsh, “No, no. You don’t get to ‘Hi, Luke’ me. Not after you’ve ignored me for nearly _two months_ Calum!” 

“Okay, well do you just want me to not say anything to you when you come barging into my apartment?”

“No, don’t do that either. Don’t _tease_. You don’t get to tease after you’ve stopped talking to me for so long. _Especially_ when I find out that the reason you stopped talking to me is because you think I’m some dickhead who looks at a mark on someone’s hand and thinks ‘oh, yeah that’s the one for me.’” 

Calum’s heart drops, feeling a bit betrayed that his friends would let that information out, but then he thinks he’s been selfish enough that maybe it’s good that Luke found that out, even if it wasn’t from him. He goes to say sorry, to tell Luke that he didn’t mean to hurt him, but Luke just ploughs on, looking angrier than he’s ever seen him before. 

“Michael told me. Told me you thought I only liked you because of what was on your hand and you know what I thought for a second maybe you were right. So I went out. I went out a lot. I met a girl.” 

He pauses, biting his lip, and Calum’s heart speeds up, stomach lurching in jealousy, choking out, “That’s nice, Luke.” 

Luke throws his arms up in frustration, sighing out, “Oh my god. Shut up. Just shut up. Let me finish my story.” 

Calum would think the outburst was kind of funny if it weren’t for the slump of Luke’s shoulders or how desperate he sounds; instead, it’s just a little sad and Calum regrets everything that’s led up to this moment. He stands there, waiting for Luke to finish, not saying anything else.

“I met a girl. Her name was Candace and you know what she had on her hand? A fucking _L_ and I thought maybe _she_ could be my soulmate. Maybe you were just some stupid boy with a chip on his shoulder and a complex about soulmates that was just a distraction leading up to me meeting her. So I took her out.” 

Calum never thought Luke would be the type to rub his happiness in Calum’s face but here he is telling Calum all about meeting someone else and Calum wants to puke. He wants to throw Luke out and never think about him ever again, but he’s rooted to his spot, not able to do anything but look at Luke scratch at the back of his neck as he says defeatedly, “And I felt absolutely nothing.” 

Luke smiles weakly and Calum’s heart stops and speeds up for what feels like the millionth time this conversation, breathing out a soft, “Oh.”

Luke steps forward, anger seeming to fade away with every step he takes toward Calum, face softening and he reaches out and touches at Calum’s wrist, “Calum, I want you. I don’t care about the letters. I could meet a million people with an _L_ on their hand and a _C_ that starts their name and I wouldn’t care. I don’t care. I just want you.”   
Calum lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and can’t stop his smile, sighing out, “Okay.” 

“Okay?” Luke asks, face scrunching up in confusion and Calum finally lets himself admit just how adorable Luke can be, closing the gap between the two of them and placing his hand on Luke’s hip, saying again, “Okay.” 

Luke breathes easier, mouth quirking up in a grin as Calum presses forward, kissing Luke softly, breathing hot against his lips, “Okay.” 

Luke kisses him back, firm but chaste and Calum wants more, feeling slightly reckless with how much Luke still makes him want. He deepens the kiss, pushing him back toward the sofa, tripping up a bit on Luke’s feet and laughing into the kiss. He settles onto Luke’s laps, knees bracing his thighs and he kisses him again, more desperately this time.

Luke sighs into it, hands coming up to tighten around Calum’s hips and Calum realizes how stupid he’s been this entire time because not wanting a soulmate was never worth missing out on this. Wasn’t worth missing the feel of Luke’s lips against his or the way his thumbs dig into his side as Calum bites at his bottom lip, before dipping down and sucking at the soft skin behind his ear. It wasn’t worth missing the way his name comes out breathy on Luke’s tongue as Calum grinds down against his lap or the way he bucks his hips up, desperate for friction, saying, “Please,” against the crook of Calum’s neck. 

That’s all it takes for the rest of Calum’s will to wither away. Reaching down for the hem of Luke’s shirt and laughing as the fabric clings to Luke’s skin when Calum tries to take it off, saying amused, “You’re soaked.” 

“Which is exactly why you’re taking my clothes off. Very thoughtful of you.” 

“Yes, very thoughtful of me,” he says as he discards Luke’s wet tank top, moving to undo his belt, laughing as Luke’s hands tighten against his hips again.

“Are you sure about this?”

Calum’s hand still momentarily, long enough to look at Luke, kiss him hard, and say fiercely, “I want you, too,” before pushing the waistband of Luke’s boxer out of the way and wrapping his hand loosely around his dick, his own twitching painfully against the seam of his jeans with the way Luke tips his head back and sighs in relief, saying quietly as Calum starts to work up a rhythm, “Okay, but what about the soulmate thing?”

Calum thumbs gently over Luke’s slit on the upstroke, laughing out, “Is this what dating you is going to be like? Always having serious conversations while I’m getting you off?”

“Dating? - _ah_ \- We’re dating?” Luke asks, thrusting forward into Calum’s hand.

“Yes, if you’d like. If you’ll still have me.” 

Luke surges forward, hand creeping up into Calum’s hair and pulling him forward into a kiss. It’s hard and rough and hungrier than anything they’ve done all night and Luke only pulls back slightly to say, “Yes, yes, yes,” between each press of his lips against Calum’s. 

Luke comes over Calum’s hand a few strokes later, biting softly at the fabric of Calum’s shirt to muffle his groan and Calum thinks he could get used to this. Thinks he can get used to the way Luke’s eyes go wide as Calum sucks his fingers into his mouth, licking away Luke’s come. He thinks he can get used to the way Luke flips them around, kneeling down in front of Calum and pushing his sweats out of the way, breathing hot against the fabric of his boxers before moving them, too, licking gently at the head of Calum’s cock before sinking his mouth down around him. He thinks he can get used to coming in Luke’s mouth, him pulling off with a dopey smile and wiping away spit and spunk with the back of his hand and kissing the inside of Calum’s knee quickly before Calum pulls him back up on the sofa with him, pressing forward to kiss him again, slow and steady this time. 

But most of all Calum thinks he can get used to the way Luke falls asleep next to him later that night, hand splayed against Calum’s chest -- the little black _C_ on his hand no longer looking so scary.


End file.
